Mcleish To Keep Herd Grounded

After a great few games in the holding role, Herd has been the main positive for fans to focus on recently.  However Alex Mcleish doesn't want to heap too much pressure on him so early in his career.  I've been so impressed with him this season, ever since I saw him play right back against Wolves.  He should definately play whenever fit in the holding role and then we can play a couple of attack minded midfielders ahead of him, hopefully Gardner soon!

Here is what Mcleish said:

"What the boys have normally done after a defeat is give me a good reaction.
"We have a tough one at the weekend but I will be looking at possibly freshening things up in any way that I can.

"Guys like Chris Herd are getting a crash-course in the Premier League.
"He was all over the place. He made tackles, got booked, he's an athletic kid but his legs gave away towards the end. If we expose him too much we risk injury.
"To rely on these kids for the whole season is putting a lot of pressure on them.
"He's certainly shown the mental toughness to handle it. He's developing but let's not put too much pressure on him."

The Youngsters Showing Us How It's Done

I've just watched the highlights from Villa's NextGen Series 3-0 victory over Ajax and all I could think throughout was, why can't the first team do that?

Obviously there were a few sloppy errors but you will always find them at youth level, they soon learn to cut them out once they are on the big stage and realise just how costly a mistake can be.  The midfield duo of Gary Gardner and Daniel Johnson looked very comfortable on the ball and very dangerous coming forward.  We've all heard a lot about Gardner and saying that he should be given a chance in the first team, and why not? The current lot clearly aren't cutting the mustard at the moment so things can't get worse by putting Gardner in there.  He's 19 years old, that's about the age that top youth players start making an impact on their respective clubs first team and I feel that the time he is spending in the youth and reserve teams is a bit of a waste of time.  The NextGen Series will do a lot of good for him to experience european competition but it's clear that he is way too good to be playing at that level.

His partner in midfield, Johnson, also looks like a very decent prospect.  I noticed he made a couple of cup squads early last season without getting on the pitch.  I can clearly see why Houllier liked him.  He reminds me a bit of Barry Bannan.  Quite slight but very comfortable on the ball, close control and a lovely left foot.  I can't see where he would really fit in with the first team squad at this moment in time but I would like to see him maybe go out on loan and get some time playing championship football because I can see him having a good future.

Finally I would like to mention a couple of wingers, Jack Grealish and Jordan Graham.  I've heard in the past about Chelsea showing an interest in Jordan Graham and I can see why.  Still at a very young age he made the Ajax defence look stupid (those of you that have seen the highlights will know which bit I'm on about).  That was quality wing play and the more he plays, the better he will get and I think he could be really special.  The same applies to Grealish.  I first saw him play in the 4-1 win against Rosenborg earlier in the competition.  He looks like another very skillful player who, like Graham will just get better with time and could become really special.

I heard Alex Mcleish was at that match, so hopefully he will have picked up a few tips on how to set his teams up (TO WIN!).  He simply has to start including Gardner in the squads over the next few weeks and we can all finally see what he can do in the Premier League.

Other than that I would like to leave you with my ones to watch:

Jack Grealish
Jordan Graham

Ian Taylor - Next Villa Manager?

I spoke about this during and after the match last night on Twitter and it all seemed to make good sense.  Ian Taylor is Mr. Aston Villa, there is no 2 ways about it.  He is a hard core fan, lived the dream by playing for his club and is now the ambassador for the club.  Granted, he might not know much about management yet, but he would be able to learn the ins and outs of it through time.

There is no way that Alex Mcleish is the long term solution to our problems.  All he has done is create a few more.  Ian Taylor is still young in terms of management age so he has plenty of time to learn the ropes.  If he was to get the job, he would be respected by the players and be worshipped by the fans.  He is an Aston Villa legend, end of.  I know people have said in the past that they would love Martin Laursen to manage us one day, and I would like to see that happen aswell.  He would have a very similar effect to Tayls.  Basically what I want is someone who knows Villa and will get the players playing with passion and know what kind of football the fans want to see being played.

A Day To Reflect - Not Much Has Changed

So, I've had a day to reflect on the appauling surrender at Tottenham and my viewpoint remains the same.  We all saw the team sheet before the game and knew what the outcome would be.  Even with a team capable of holding out a team like Spurs for 90 minutes I don't agree with those tactics at all.  We are Aston Villa, we are a big enough and good enough team to go out and attack any team in the league.  If we get hammered then so be it, at least we gave it a go.  Playing the way we did we had absolutely no chance of getting a result, at least by throwing everything at Spurs might give them something to think about.

I often say things in the heat of the moment after a poor performance, and last night was the first time I have used the words "Mcleish Out".  Maybe it was a bit premature but that's how furious I was at how he set us up to play.  I knew when he came to Villa that he had been accused of being defensive in the past but he said that with the attacking options at his disposal at Villa he would play dynamic, expansive, attacking football.  But here we are talking about his overly negative tactics making a mockery of our club.

I'm not going to start a whole Mcleish Out campaign just yet, but what I will say is that if he doesn't alter his tactics considerably for the Swansea match then I will start to consider whether I want this man in charge of our club.  Obviously I'm not keen on him anyway but I'm still willing to give him another chance.  Another episode similar to this one will spell the end of my belief in him.  Randy will not sack him, not unless we are in SERIOUS trouble because he has it in his mind that he's the new Sir Alex, but that won't stop the fans in voicing their disgust at his tactics.  ENOUGH DEFENDING, JUST ATTACK!!!

Optimism Mixed With Fear

It seems so long since my last post.  In fact I think it was just after the 2-1 defeat to West Brom when I last wrote an article.  I must apologise for the lack of posts but it has been a hectic few weeks but I'm committed to making this blog a success so my attention is now fully focussed on giving you, the reader, a good read about all things Villa.  So, let's start with a look ahead to Monday's match with Spurs shall we...

I've just checked the table and noticed that if Spurs win thier 2 games in hand they will rise to 2nd in the table! And the way they are playing it is a real possibility.  I would love to go into this game with confidence but whenever I start feeling optimistic, my mind switches to our full backs.  Warnock against Lennon and Walker is bad enough but when you add Hutton against Bale to the equation, the outlook doesn't look good.  Then they have Van der Vaart, Modric and Parker against Petrov and Herd which just adds to the woes.

On a positive note I definately feel as though we can make chances against anyone now that Gabby and Bent have formed a potentially lethal partnership.  We need Gabby to be at his best to stand any chance of getting something out of the game.  It is a potentially very high scoring game.  Over recent years our games together have been very tight affairs and usually full of drama, but this time around I think we need to rely on Tottenham's midfield to have an off day to make it a close game.  Nevertheless that won't stop me believing we can take all 3 points in great style, no matter how impossible that may seem.  That's the feeling I get before every game and that will never change, so bring it on!

Positive Signs But Same Old Woes

Once again I have mixed emotions after a Villa game and it's really starting to get on my wick! We've got it in the locker to play good stuff and dominate teams, we showed that at times today. Why then do we go ultra defensive as soon as we take the lead? We did it under O'Neill aswell but not quite to this extent. Mcleish is the only man responsible, and only he can fix it.

There were clear positives to take from today, the obvious one being scoring twice away from home. Stan's one in a million's are turning into one in ten's, N'Zogbia started to look like justifying his price tag (not totally yet) and Chris Herd did everything I thought he could do. We had moments where we dominated possession and we created a few good chances. Much better away from home.

But once again we are talking about dropped points. I know that both Sunderland goals could potentially have been avoided if the ref had given decisions our way but that doesn't excuse poor defending. The first goal was decent but easily avoidable and the second was just unforgiveable. The smallest player on the pitch with a free header from close range when we are just a couple of minutes from 3 valuable points.

If we cut out the stupid defensive errors and get Heskey out the side I think we have the makings of a solid
mid-table side. Unfortunately I think that's the best we can hope for but I for one would be happy with that. There have been whispers of relegation recently so I would be very pleased to cement our place in the Premier League.

Sunderland: PREVIEW

Another match day and once again I feel as though we need at least a point from the game.  Results have not been going our way recently for one reason or another, and it's about time we added to our points tally.

Sunderland are a vulnerable side at the moment.  They enjoyed a good victory over Bolton last week but I feel that if we can get at them early on and maybe take an early lead, we should be able to control the game.  We should be looking to start like we did against West Brom and hope that the ref doesn't ruin the game again.

Despite the loss of Bannan, we will go into the game with a strong looking squad.  Herd's suspension written off, Hutton fit and so is Jermaine Jenas who could make his debut finally.  Lets just hope he doesn't pick up another knock in the next 24 hours!  I expect Mcleish to look to try and steady the ship with a solid point, even though this is a very winnable game, so I expect the following line up:

                     Given

Hutton  Collins  Dunne  Warnock

              Petrov  Delph

  N'Zogbia  Ireland  Agbonlahor

                     Bent

I don't think Jenas will start but I expect him to play some part in the game.  I would love to see Herd keep his place but I can't see it happening and the same applies to Cuellar.  He's so reliable but managers always seem to want him as back up which is very unfair to him.

Why Herd Must Start Against Sunderland

Now that Herd is availible after his rescinded red card, it is clear to me that it is vital that he starts for us.  Especially now that Bannan is out of the equation we are low on midfielders, and the ones we do have availible are mediocre at best.

Herd gives us something that nobody else in our midfield does, and that's fight.  He gets right in the faces of the opposition and gets stuck in.  When was the last time we saw Petrov do that?

Away from home is where it is most noticeable.  We let our opponents hav the ball in the middle of the park, give them all the time in the world to pick out a pass and don't pressure them at all.  And then when we get the ball we get put under pressure straight away, we panic, then we lose possession.  This has become a recurring theme away from home, and sometimes at Villa Park aswell.

Herd can gie us that fight in the middle of the park which can win us possession and force errors from the opposition.  It seems like teams don't really worry when we come to visit them because we let them play their own game and don't dictate anything.  This needs to change and I think the way to change it is to play Chris Herd.

Hutton Doubtful For Sunderland (Thank God!)

Another good bit of news coming out of Villa today is that Alan Hutton is still a major doubt after a facial wound that forced him off against West Brom.  I'm not going to lie to you, I think he's a liability and we're better off without him.  I know I said i wanted to give him games to give him a chance but to be honest, he looks like he's getting worse! He could have seriously injured Shane Long last week and I think it's better for evryone if he doesn't play.  It also gives King Carlos a chance to show what he can do at right back (a much better job than Hutton for sure).

Herd Red Card Rescinded

A bit of better news coming out of Villa this week is the news that Chris Herd's shambolick red card against the Baggies has been rescinded so he will now be availible for the trip to Sunderland.  We were all expecting this outcome as I think the only people who think that it was a red card are Roy Hodgson and a few delusional Baggies fans.  I hope it hasn't affected the lad, he could have a future at Villa from what I've seen so far.

Bannan Suspended By Villa

Bad news coming out of Villa that Barry Bannan has been suspended pending an internal investigation over recent allegations of drink driving.  Bannan was arrested in the early hours of Sunday morning along with former Villa striker James Collins (Junior) and will not be availible for the trip to Sunderland.  This can only be seen as bad news as he is our only creative midfielder so chances should be even fewer and farther between compared to usual.  Lets just hope we can get this sorted out a.s.a.p.

An Injustice Cost Us

You all know what I'm talking about.  Chris Herd's sending off was an absolute disgrace.  There is absolutely no way it was a red card, or a penalty for that matter.  The fact that Olsson didn't react to the so called stamp tells the whole story.  He didn't stamp on Olsson, he was just trying to free himself from him quickly which required him to do what he did.  For once though I'm not blaming Phil Dowd for this one, it was all down to his linesman.

What followed after that was inevitable.  I feel that if we had kept 11 men on the pitch then we would have taken all 3 points from the game.  We were looking good, had the lead and everything was going to plan.  Herd added the presence in midfield that we haven't had since Reo-Coker.  He must have been devastated with being sent off but I'm totally confident it will be recinded and he will be availible for our next match.

For me, Herd is a must start because he is the only player in the squad capable of putting himself about and get in the faces of the opposition.  If we give him a run of games I reckon he can turn into a key player in terms of winning midfield battles which is where we have been lacking recently.  I would love to see him in a 3 man midfield with Clark (instead of Petrov) and Bannan.  Youthful but with a lot of potential.

Next week I would like to see:

                      Given

Cuellar  Collins  Dunne  Warnock

                      Clark

            Herd          Bannan

Albrighton                      Agbonlahor

                        Bent

Hutton left out for obvious reasons, the main one being he is crap.  Cuellar is usually a solid defender and did well at right back a couple of years ago so I would lov to see him replace Hutton.  The 3 man midfield should mean we don't get overrun, therefore seeing mor of the ball.  Albrighton can give us much needed width and Gabby has already shown how good he can be on the wing.

Overall, despite the loss there are positives to take, but only if Mcleish chooses to act on them.  Unfortunately I feel as though he will revert back to Heskey and the whole experience will be for nothing.  Only time will tell...

West Brom: PREVIEW

Match day is upon us once again, and we are back at the home comforts of Villa Park.  The fact we are at home makes me think we should be going out all guns blazing to try and win this one.  After the submission at Man City I'm sure Eck will have the players fited up for this.

Despite this, I can't see there being many goals in this one.  West Brom are generally a solid team under Roy Hodgson and, apart from last week, so are we.  I'm expecting a very close faught game and predicting a 1-0 home win with Gabby grabbing the goal. 

In my previous post I stated what team I would like to see being played but this is what I think Mcleish will go for today:

                     Given

Hutton  Collins  Dunne  Warnock

                    Petrov

        Bannan           Delph

                     Ireland

               Gabby    Bent

It will be similar to the diamond we played against Wigan and I for one wouldn't be too disappointed to see that.  It seemed to work well last time so it deserves to be given another chance.

All in all I think we need to win today to give us a bit of a boost.  As we all know, we are drawing too frequently and even though a draw against the Baggies isn't bad, I feel it is needed.

Which Way Forward

There has been a lot of debate over the last few games about Mcleish playing the wrong formation and the wrong players in the wrong positions etc. This begs the question though, what formation do we think would be the best way forward?

Ive thought long and hard about this for a while now and tried to take into consideration everything I have witnessed so far this season. The key thing for me is to get players playing in their natural positions where they know their jobs and can just focus on playing rather than trying to please the manager by sticking to his position. After considering all the possibilities I have come up with 2 line-ups that I would like to see be given a go.

Option 1

Given

Hutton/Herd Collins Dunne Warnock

Petrov/Clark

Jenas (if fit) Bannan

Ireland

Bent Agbonlahor

Option 2

Given

Hutton/Herd Collins Dunne Warnock

Clark/Petrov

Ireland Bannan

N’Zogbia Bent Agbonlahor

The first option is kind of what we saw against Wigan but with a couple of personnel changes. It seemed to work well in that game but perhaps that was just down to Wigan being a very poor team. The second option potentially offers a bit more width if Gabby and Zogs pull out wide but I appreciate that they both like to cut in so perhaps Albrighton might be a better choice instead of N’Zogbia.

All in all there are so many possibilities that we are all going to have our own preferences on what we believe is the right formation to take us forward. Those are my choices, but I would love to know what everybody else thinks.

Hilarious Heskey Video

When I first saw this Emile Heskey 'tribute' video I thought it was brilliant.  So simple but for any football fan, hilarious!

http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=GB#/watch?v=GooOjXP53pY

Young Remenisces On Time At Villa

Former Villa favourite Ashley Young gives his view on his time at Villa and thankfully jas nothing but praise for him.  I loved Ash when he was at Villa and unlike Downing and Barry, I respect his decision to move away to further his career.  He had served his time at Villa and he chose the best move for his career and I have no problem with that.

He said:

"I can't say a bad word about Villa,"

"I only have fond memories.

"Everyone was brilliant to me - the chairman was fantastic but he could tell I was an ambitious person.  

"I joined Villa to play in Europe and challenge the top four. We did that - we played in Europe and made the top six for three seasons in a row - but I just felt the time was right to move on."

"I was concentrating on football all the time, nothing else, and that showed," he continued. "I was putting in good performances, even if the team were in the relegation mix for a while.

"Every time I put on that Villa shirt I would always give 100 per cent to try and get us up the table.

"I was asked 100 times if I was leaving but I was fully focused on football, certainly not my next move"

Clark To Be The Main Man

Defensive duo Richard Dunne and Carlos Cuellar have praised the ability and potential that young centre back Ciaran Clark Possesses.  It was clear for all of us to see last year that he was a very talented footballer.  Not only is he a good defender, but he is also comfortable in possession which is a quality that none of our current defenders seem to have.  I would love to see Clark get some more game time alongside Dunne but I'm sure that Collins will take his place if he is fit.

Dunne said:

“Ciaran just has to be patient this year, he is a great lad and is going to be a brilliant player, but he is still young, especially for a centre-back.

“Last year he played a lot of games in midfield and at left-back but I think he wants to be a centre-back. He had a couple of injuries over the summer but it just takes time to develop sometimes.

“Ciaran will get games and I’m certain he’ll become a regular at Villa soon enough, so he has to be patient. Maybe ten or 15 games might just be enough for him in the learning process this season.

“Eventually he will take over and become the main man at the back. He will kick on with Ireland as well. The lads who are playing at the moment have played a lot of games and Ciaran is still at the stage where he is learning.

“But it will come to him at some point and I’m sure he will be back in the Ireland squad soon enough.”

Cuellar said:

“He is one of the best defenders I have played with – he is superb,”

“He is young, but he has some amazing assets.

“He is quick, he has good technique, he can play, he can tackle and he’s good in the air. He’s got everything you need to succeed and flourish.

“He is also incredibly versatile. He can play centre-back but he’s done an amazing job at left-back too when he’s been asked to play there and he’s even impressed in central midfield.

“He will be one of the best defenders in the Premier League and in Europe too. He’s that good.

“If he keeps up this kind of progression, keeps learning, he will definitely be one of the best defenders around. I rate him that highly.

“The quality of his left foot is amazing. He is so comfortable on it.”

A Transfer Link With Substance!

We have had a few transfer links over the past month or so and it's fair to say, the chances of any of them happening is quite slim.  Here though I believe we have a link with some substance to it. 

Our scout in Holland, Arthur Numan, has been keeping a close eye on Simon Poulsen who plays for AZ Alkmaar.  He is a left back which would suggest that Mcleish has seen a weakness in Warnock, although he can also be played in midfield.

He is out of contract at the end of the season so a cut price deal may be on the cards in January. Watch this space!

Agbonlahor Could Be A Superstar - Angel

Old Aston Villa favourite Juan Pablo Angel has come out and said how well he feels Agbonlahor is playing and says that he has all the attributes to make him a world class player.  I think this is replicating what most Villa fans are thinking after watching his performances so far this season, and hopefully Juan Pablo is correct in his belief that he will become a superstar.

He said:

“I do remember him from my time at Villa but he was only a young player who made his debut when I was there,”

“It was hard to tell whether he would make it.

 “He had everything to make him a superstar, most of all the one tool that is extremely important in the modern game, which is his speed.

 “But he was still young and at the end of the day it was up to him.

 “It was hard to tell whether he was going to be a world class player or not.

 “He started to become more involved with Martin O’Neill and he has now developed into a more mature player.

 “What I have seen in him this year is very encouraging.

 “I’m sure he would have been disappointed with having the season he had last year.

 “Now he has something to prove. He’ll want to be back in the England frame and he’ll want to give himself the chance to be the player he wants to be.”

 “His speed is always going to give him a good chance to start with,”

 “He has the tools but it’s up to him how much he wants to improve and how willing he is to do the things he has to do to become a world-class player.

 “He’s in an environment and a league that will give him all the opportunities.

 “He looks a lot stronger now. When I saw him at the beginning of last year, I noticed he had put on some weight in terms of muscles and strength.

 “I guess if he knew that speed wasn’t enough he wanted to become more powerful too.

 “He’s giving himself every opportunity and you can tell he is more confident using his body because he will not get out-muscled.”

Mcleish Angered By "Comedy Cuts" Defending

I talked about the point after the match that we gifted Man City at least 3 of their goals due to sloppy mistakes and we didn't force them out of 2nd or 3rd gear.  Alex Mcleish has replicated this as he talked about his great disappointment at the level of defending produced at the Etihad Stadium.

He said:

“It doesn’t matter if it’s Manchester City or an amateur team, you’ll still lose goals if you’re not organised at set-pieces,”

 “To lose goals the way we did was comedy cuts.

 “Every other team will look at the scoreline and think City must have cut Villa to ribbons but they didn’t.

 “When they see the goals they’ll just think – that was horrendous defending.

 “Needless to say, we will be on the training ground this week to put that right.

 “I don’t think it was a bad day at the office, but to lose we are extremely unhappy and disappointed, especially the way we started the game.

 “Kompany had a free run for his goal, that shouldn’t have happen because we had organised our players to pick up the important City targets and the ones we singled out for attention.

 “It’s a learning curve but I am disappointed not to come away from here with something. If we’d defended better from corner kicks I felt we would have.

 “Stevie Warnock, who has been excellent for us this season, had an uncharacteristic error and unfortunately Johnson capitalised on it.

 “Stevie slips up and it’s 2-0. How do you legislate for things like that happening?”

A Long Way To Go

I think a lot of Villa fans were expecting a scoreline similar to 4-1, perhaps not quite as bad, but it's the way in which we conceded the goals that annoyed me.  I said before the match that I thought  had learnt our lesson since last year and we wouldn't concede any cheap goals, but here we are, talking yet again about sloppy goals.

It seems as though Warnock is never going to learn how to be a 'solid' defender.  Yes he has his good days, Wigan being one of them, but I have voiced my concerns about hi in the past and he is doing nothing to change my mind.  He is an accident waiting to happen every single game, and against Man City he is starting to make a habit of having shockers.  Surely Ciaran Clark deserves a chance at left back against West Brom.  I know he isn't a left back, but he was more solid last season than Warnock has been recently so that change can't hurt.

Our other full back, Hutton, is another accident waiting to happen.  I know a lot of Villa fans have said that they feel Chris Herd should be given more of a chance and I have to say that I agree.  Hutton has looked dodgy since joining and Herd has only played one Premier League game and he got MOTM.  Surely it's a no brainer!

Moving on to midfield, and it pains me to say it, but Delph just doesn't seem up to it at this level.  I could see glimpses earlier in the season of a real quality player but his past few performances have been getting increasingly ropy and it must be time for him to be dropped.  I would like to see us revert back to the diamond midfield that we saw against Wigan as it made us attack with a bit more intent and it wasn't too 'structured' where everyone has a fixed position and is afraid to move out of it.

Up front Bent didn't really have a sniff once again.  It is more understandable against top quality opposition but he must be getting more and more frustrated by the game.  Reverting back to the diamond midfield I think will create a lot more chances for Bent, as long as Bannan is on the pitch as he looks like the only player in the team who is actually focused on trying to release him.

This is the team I would like to see line up against the Baggies:

                  Given

Herd  Collins  Dunne  Clark

                  Petrov

      Bannan           Jenas

                 Ireland

           Bent  Agbonlahor

I know the odds of Mcleish making all these changes is next to nothing, but that is the team I would personally like to see.  If Jenas still hasn't recovered then I would like to see Gary Gardner given a start alongside Bannan.  People keep on giving him rave reviews so it's about time we saw if he has what it takes.  He can't be any worse than Delph has been recently.

Transfer News

The Daily Mirror reporting we are looking at Gylfi Sigurdsson of Hoffenheim.  I remember him being a fantastic player for Reading, all be it in the Championship.  Their seems to be a pattern forming that every player we are linked to at the moment are central midfielders.  I wouldn't be surprised to see us make at least one midfield addition in the January window.

Spurs Want Agbonlahor

Some interesting articles coming out today saying that Harry Redknapp wants to sign Gabby Agbonlahor in January.  I can believe that there is an interest there but what I can't believe is that Gabby would even consider leaving.  He has said before that he wants to stay at Villa for life and I fully believe him.  The figure floating around was £20 million and that speaks volumes for his progress this year.

Player Profile - 11. Gabriel Agbonlahor

The local lad Gabby Agbonlahor has become a fans favourite over the past few years. He is a Villa fan living the dream and he is one of only a few people in the squad who truly knows how much of a privelage it is to play for your club. I think that was the main reason for the sadness people felt for him last year when he just couldn't come up with the goods and it looked like he might be on his way out.

Thankfully for the fans and himself, he has made an amazing resurgence back to the top of his game, leaving defences quaking in their boots. He's even starting to look clinical in front of goal! 4 goals already this season tops what he made in the whole of last season, and his ability to create a goal out of nothing is something that nobody else in the squad possesses so to have him back at his best could easily gain us an extra 10 points this season.

I don't think that there is any doubt that if he can keep this form up and stay fit then he should be given a chance in the England squad, and possibly even get on the plane to the Euro's. Not only does he possess great pace and danger, but he has now also added versatility to his list of attributes which, for Capello, makes him a great addition to the squad if he is to go to the championships.

Rating - 9/10

Man City: PREVIEW

Possibly the toughest game we will play all season. We rolled over twice last season at Eastlands and Man City have strengthened a lot since then. However, despite the departures of key players in our squad I believe we will put up much more of a fight this time around. A new found solidity at the back means we should hopefully not concede any cheap goals and force them to use the undoubted quality at their disposal to break us down. Last season it was all too easy for them, but I think we could be a much tougher task than they are anticipating.

Now we get on to the injuries. Man City are thankfully without Sergio Aguero for the match tomorrow so it will most likely be Balotelli to replace him. For us we are without Jenas still as he looks to overcome an achilles injury and Nathan Delfouneso is out with a minor hamstring tear. Ireland, Bannan and Agbonlahor have all overcome injuries to be fit for the trip to the Etihad Stadium so at least we can put out a strong team to have a realistic chance of perhaps taking something back to Villa Park.

My team prediction:

                    Given

Hutton  Collins  Dunne  Warnock

              Petrov  Delph

     Bannan  Ireland  Agbonlahor

                     Bent

From what Mcleish said in an interview after the Wigan game he made it seem quite clear that he wouldn't stick with the diamond for this match. I think he will play a much more solid base and try and hit them on the break with the pace of Gabby, and I think this is the only way we can be competitive against a side better than us in all parts of the pitch. I honestly believe we could win a hard earned point if we put in a real gutsy performance. A win would be unbelievable and I don't think anyone is predicting a Villa win, but it's not an impossibilty. Keep believing and it might just happen!

Players Must Live Close

Alex Mcleish has imposed a new rule at Villa that every player must live within a 30 mile radius of Bodymoor Heath. He hopes that this rule will help to reduce the number of injuries within the squad.

Now it was much publicised last year when Gerard Houllier tried to do something similar. His attempts failed though as players such as Stephen Ireland refused to move closer to the training ground because they felt it wasn't worth it if they knew that no matter what they did, they would be training with the reserves. Good news for Mcleish however as both Ireland and Warnock have both recently relocated closer to Bodymoor. Obviously that is down to the fact that they are being given game time so they actually have a good enough reason to move.

Weimann Preferred To Delfouneso

Assistant Manager Peter Grant has come out today and praised Andreas Weimann for his performances on the training field and stated that he believes that he has earnt his place in the squad ahead of Delfouneso. Grant has reassured Delfouneso that he will get his chance by giving him some words of encouragement, but for the meantime, Weimann is going to be getting the majority of the game time out of the two. This pleases me because Nathan has had many chances already and, while I think he has shown promise, I think it's time for Weimann to get his chance.

This is what Grant said:

“Andreas Weimann came on against Wigan because he deserved to,”

“One of the reasons we put him out on loan for a month was because in pre-season training we thought he was excellent.

“We brought him back with the proviso that he would be involved with us and he’s thoroughly deserved that.

“What we tell the players is every day they have to produce the goods and not just on a Saturday to get that bit extra out of them.

“They need to show it in training and train exceptionally well because that is what we are watching all of the time.

“You don’t switch the light on a Saturday and only become a professional on the Friday night before; you have to do it all the time and train well.

“That’s what we have tried to get into the players mind and they are buying into that. It is a great thing for the youngsters to show there is an opportunity for them.

“Nathan has been fantastic,” added Grant. “He finds it tough being out the team.

“In the game against Bolton the team didn’t play well which wasn’t down to Nathan.

“He has just found himself a bit unfortunate really that Andreas came on against QPR and did well so he deserved to retain his place.”

Bannan Doubtful For Scotland

News today that Barry Bannan has got a gashed heel which could potentially keep him out of the crucial match against Spain. I would love to see Bannan up against the likes of Xavi and Iniesta to really get an idea of just how good Bannan is compared to the people we have likened him too since his arrival to the first team. At least if he does miss the Spain match he should be fully fit for our trip to the Etihad Stadium where we need all the quality we have to try and compete with them!

Kevin MacDonald to Forest?

I've heard rumours today that Kevin MacDonald is being lined up to take over at Nottingham Forest after the departure of Steve Mclaren. I think he would do a very good job at Forest and if he was to leave then I wish him all the best because he has been a great servant to Villa over the years and he deserves a shot at management.

However the more selfish side in me would absolutely love him to stay. He has done wonders to our youth development over the years and most recently has nurtured talents such as Barry Bannan and Ciaran Clark. He gave these players a chance to show what they can do after MON left and he showed us that we have got some very good young players indeed. This season he has been promoted to the first team in an attempt to try and help the younger players settle into the squad and so far it appears to be working. If he was to leave I've got no idea what effect it would have on the team but it certainly wouldn't be a positive. In the short spell he had in charge it was clear to see that the whole team loved him and respected him, which is a great trait to have.

In my honest opinion I think he will stay. He seems to have formed such a close attachment to the youngsters coming through that I think he will want to stay with them until he has taken them as far as he can. I just hope I'm right!

Yet More Transfer News!

It's only October but we already have names floating around as possible transfer targets. Next up is yet another midfielder, this time Jeff Hendrick of Derby County. Reports suggest we are battling West Brom for his signature. Once again I know next to nothing about this player so feel free to leave a comment if you know anything about me. Reports say that he is a very highly rated 19 year old, which to me sounds a bit pointless. Surely this would just get in the way of Bannan and Delph's development into first team regulars. The only signings I would like us to make at the moment are for key players who would add something to the first team, but due to our financial state is unlikely. I would give anything for us to find a gem from another country, something that Newcastle seem to be experts at doing recently.

Player Profile - 10. Charles N'Zogbia

Bought in the summer for £9.5 million, Charles N'Zogbia was supposed to be our saviour after the loss of Young and Downing. Unfortunately he hasn't lived up to expectations so far and was even dropped for the 2-0 victory against his former club Wigan last week. Since joining he hasn't looked half as good as what he did last year for Wigan as he almost single handedly kept them in the league. Instead what we have seen is a player who can barely control a ball, misplaces passes and can't beat a defender to save his life.

There is undoubtedly a very good player in there somewhere though, as he showed at the end of last season. It's all a case of will Mcleish be able to get that out of him. Perhaps he is struggling with the pressure of trying to fill the boots of Ashley Young and Stewart Downing, or maybe he is just taking some time to settle in Claret and Blue. Earlier this season, N'Zogbia claimed that he can "murder any left back" and I think it's time for him to start showing these qualities that we payed just shy of £10 mil for.

Rating - 6/10

Possible Loan Move

It has been reported that us and Everton are supposedly eyeing up a loan move in January for Fiorentina's 20 year old midfielder Adem Ljajic. Ljajic has slipped down the pecking order at Fiorentina so a loan move certainly seems like a possibility and would add much needed depth to the squad.

Unfortunately I don't really know anything about him so I can't give any personal views on this move so anyone who does know about him, please leave a comment or tweet me @EverythingVilla.

Gabby Declared Fit

It gives me great pleasure to announce that Villa's main man Gabby Agbonlahor will more than likely be fully fit to take on title contenders Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

He has seen a specialist about his back problem and it appears as though he has overcome it. If we are to have any chance of coming away with a result it is vital that Gabby is playing as he is the only one in the squad who can stretch the City defence.

That Matchday Feeling

So the weekend is here but I can't help but feel slightly underwhelmed at the prospect of two days off. The reason for this is that there is no Premier League football to get excited about, or more importantly, no Villa action. None of that anticipation of what might happen in the next 90 minutes, the excitement of scoring a goal, the pain of conceding a goal, the anger towards a dull match, the thrill at seeing an explosive game of football. All of these emotions are part of the match day feeling and I wouldn't trade a single one.

The England game yesterday should have been something that would get me excited, the prospect of my nation qualifying for the next major championships. Sadly however I couldn't have been more disinterested in it. I was so disinterested that I even forgot it was on until I was texted by a friend to tell us we had scored, to which my reaction was very care free. I try to get excited in International football but it simply doesn't come close to my love of Aston Villa and the Premier League.

The International break is, to me, just an annoying hinderance to the proper action that we are all looking forward to. That's why most of us watch the Internationals just praying that our players come away unscathed so they are fully fit for our club's next fixture. Perhaps I'm speaking for the minority but that is just my honest opinion, there is no feeling greater than that Villa match day feeling.

Given Full Of Praise For Villa

Shay Given is full of praise for all things Villa it seems. He has come out and praised the fans reaction to him since he has signed and also is excited by the potential that Villa possess with the state of the art training facilities. It's good to know that we are still an impressive club to those who join us!

Given said:

"I remember going to the kit launch at Star City and I was blown away by the reception I received," Given told the club's official website.

"The amount of fans who turned up for that and the noise they made when we made our way down the escalators was unbelievable. That's when it hit home to me how big a club I had just joined.

"You come into Bodymoor Heath every morning and you marvel at the quality of the place - it really is world-class.

"I've played at Manchester City and Newcastle and you're sometimes cocooned in that city's bubble and you don't really have a feel for how big other clubs are in other cities.

Collins Wants New Deal

James Collins has come out today and said he would love to extend his deal which is set to expire in the summer of 2013. He states that he belives his best years are still ahead of him and he looks forward to spending those years at Villa.

Collins said:

"I’d love to extend my contract here and stay at Villa as long as I can.

"As long as the manager is happy and the fans are then I’d like to stay here as long as possible. I’ve only just turned 28 so I think my best years are definitely still in front of me.

"I am not too bothered about how much I have left on my current deal.

"It’s more about if I’m performing well and the club want to give me a new contract that would be great, because I would love to stay as long as possible.

"I am enjoying my time here and enjoying playing under the current manager. Since I’ve been here everyone has been great.

"My family have settled in the area so if the opportunity was to come I’d love to sign another contract."

Wigan MOTM - Gabby Agbonlahor

The poll for the MOTM against Wigan closed yesterday and the result is very much as you would expect. Gabby Agbonlahor cruised to top of the poll claiming the award with Barry Bannan the runner up, however he didn't even come close to Gabby.

Player Profile - 9. Darren Bent

I've been looking forward to doing this Player Profile since I started the blog! The reason is simple, there is pretty much nothing negative to say about him so far. He was bought when we were in a crisis, possibly a panic buy, but he was totally worth every penny that we payed for him. He single handedly kept us in the league last season with a series of crucial goals. He had an unforgettable debut as he scored the winner against a team that Villa fans in particular have grown to hate. He grabbed 2 goals against Arsenal aswell in a fantastic victory at the Emirates.

This season he has only scored 2 goals compared to Gabby's 4, however I think that our whole team is starting to turn a bit of a corner on the chance creation front which will undoubtedly lead to more Bent goals. He will never be a team worker and track back all the time but as long as he gets the service, the goals should start to flow which is something we have needed for a long time now.

Rating - 8.5/10

Gabby As Good As Ronaldo???

Stan Petrov has come out today and claimed that our very own Gabby Agbonlahor is in the same bracket as Cristiano Ronaldo! Now I know that Gabby is playing some great stuff at the moment but come on! To claim that he is in the same bracket as arguably the second best player in the world is ridiculous, all Gabby has done is destroy Wigan's defence, WIGAN'S DEFENCE!

Don't get me wrong, I love Gabby and I think he is the key to our season, and I know he has played well against other teams this season but we haven't come up against top quality opposition yet so the Man City game will tell us a lot more.

Petrov Said:

"People talk about Ronaldo, but when you look at the assets of Gabby, you can put him in the same bracket,"

"I have always said to him, 'You don't know how good you are and the ability you have'. He can take this Premier League by storm. Not many people have what he's got.

"He has the strength, the speed, he scores goals and he creates them. I'm trying to give him the encouragement. I thought Gabby was absolutely outstanding in the win over Wigan. That's the Gabby we know, taking people on. Players are so scared of his pace. The game against Wigan was all about Gabby. He was brilliant."

Time To Kick On!

After a steady yet unspectacular start to the season, Alex Mcleish wants Villa to kick on now and start to pick up more points, whilst also saying he is a bit annoyed at not having picked up more points already this season. Most Villa fans I think will be in agreement that we feel as though we should have had at least a couple more victories so far. The games where we took the lead, Newcastle and QPR, were particularly annoying dropped points from my point of view.

Mcleish said:

“I’m greedy – I feel we should have more points, I really do, but I can’t be too critical of the players,”
“It’s about building on the identity they have tried to impose over the past few weeks, the mental toughness, the never say die, the going right to the very end.

“We’ve seen a lot of these characteristics since the start of the season. This latest victory should not do them any harm in terms of belief and confidence.”

“The players have been very keen to get results for my staff and myself because we have a good relationship,”

“There may have been a bit of anxiety in that respect. But it’s a work in progress. This job is a fantastic privilege.

“I have been lucky in the game. I started at 17. I am now at one of the big clubs in English history and it’s an honour and I am determined to get it right.”

Mcleish To Tinker With Formation

After deploying a successful diamond formation against Wigan, Mcleish has stated that he will continue to assess upcoming opponents and modify the formation accordingly.

He said:

“These guys were all I thought at a very good level which helped us win the match.”

“You have to get the midfield right if you are playing a two up front,” he explained.

“Sometimes you can be exposed in central midfield with an extra midfielder playing against you.

“A lot of teams will strive to get control of the midfield, enabling you to control the game and tempo.

“We’ve tried to find ways of getting the two of them in without it hurting our midfield.”

Darren Bent had this to say:

“We still looked solid at the back, our defence is probably up there with the best of them in the Premier League in my opinion.

“The midfield was good and Stevie Ireland playing in there made a big difference. He can get on the ball and sees things. I thought he played well and there is no doubt we can play well and get results with this formation.”

Injury Update

Alex Mcleish today revealed the extent of the injuries picked up by midfield duo Jermaine Jenas and Stephen Ireland. Jenas picked up his injury in training whilst Ireland suffered an ankle injury in the victory over Wigan at the weekend.

Mcleish said:

“Stevie turned his ankle, he was clearly struggling at the start of the second half but still contributed with a great through-ball,” he said.

“We felt it was right to take him off and he didn’t argue about that at all.

“He wants to keep that run of games going, and the more confidence he gets the better player he will be for Aston Villa.”

With regard to Jenas he said:


“He is going to be out for four weeks,”

“He’s hurt his Achilles and it’s a devastating blow first and foremost for Jenas. We’ll support him to get back to fitness.

“I could be doing with that extra competition in central midfield.”

Mcleish Impressed By Strike Duo

There is no arguing that against Wigan on Saturday the partnership of Gabby and Bent started to look very dangerous, earning various rave reviews from the media. Today it was the managers turn to praise them.

He said:

“Gabby was very understanding of Darren’s prowess and fully understood why we were still persevering with Bent through the middle,”

“You’ve got to hold your hand up to that. The guy had scored a lot of goals previously with Sunderland. But I’m glad Gabby has shown magnificent fight to get himself into this team because I know he loves Villa.

“I’ve got a gem on my hands if I can keep improving him. I heard Gabby added muscle last season. He’s a powerful beast with great feet. He’s a kid that can get even better.”

“Can they play together? Definitely, Benty’s role slightly changes when they are a partnership in that they try to dovetail each other and help each other when we are against the ball.

“I can’t just have one guy chasing back all the time. But Benty put in a real shift having been out for a few weeks, which is why we put the subs board up with 20 to go.

“Gabby has that frightening pace. Benty would love to have that extra asset. Darren is no slouch, he is quick enough, but he wins a lot of the aerial jousts.

“If the two of them can continue to make the ball stick then great because that’s where we’ve not been 100 per cent in the last few weeks.”

Chance To Win A Signed Villa Shirt

As the title suggests, you could be in with a chance to win a signed home Villa shirt. All you have to do is complete a survey on the Official Site giving your views on AVTV. AVTV has come free to this years season ticket holders but, for me, there is a lot of room for improvement.

To read the article on the OS click here

To take the survey click here

Player Profile - 8. Jermaine Jenas

Well what can I say about Jermaine Jenas? He joined us on loan in January until the end of the season and I think the main question is will he stay injury free long enough to get on the pitch? So far he has injured himself on the eve of match day twice, the latest of which will keep him out until November, which begs the question of whether he will ever be able to stay fit enough to play a sustained run of games.

Now enough of the negatives and on to what I think of him as a player. As Alex Mcleish said, you don't get several England caps without having ability. I honestly believe that he could be the athletic midfielder we are lacking whilst persisting with Petrov and his 50 year old legs. If Jenas can turn into the driving force of our midfield I think we would be a much better side.

Now I have been giving the rest of the squad a rating but it's impossible for me to rate someone who hasn't played a single game for the club so I will not rate him right now. If he gets a few games under his belt later in the season I will come back and rate him but for now I will leave it and just hope he recovers.

Rating - N/A

Tayls Believes In Bannans Character

Ian Taylor was interviewed on TalkSport earlier today. He spoke about the tough character that Barry Bannan possesses and believes he has the mental toughness to make it in the premier league.

Here is what Tayls said:

“I’ve watched Barry since he’s been in the youth team and he’s always been a player with great talent,"

“There was always the question mark about his size, and sometimes you look to Barry to do a little bit more in the game but he’s got great character and he doesn’t care who is in the team with him – he’ll be taking the penalties, he’ll take the freekicks, he’ll take the corners, he’ll do the lot.

“He’s not bothered about the experienced players trying to talk him out of it. He’s a typical tough Scot and his character is tremendous.”

Bent Fancies A Go At Strictly

Now this blog is called Everything Villa and when I say everything, I mean everything! It turns out that star striker Darren Bent is a bit of a mover on the dance floor and says that he is a keen follower of Strictly Come Dancing! Robbie Savage is the only footballer on the show this series and I think I speak on behalf of most Villa fans when I say that I hope he fails miserably. Bent also reveals that Petrov is as uncoordinated on the dance floor as he is on the pitch (not in those words!).

He said:

 “It looks cool, but also hard work,”

“Robbie is doing really well with it at the moment. I’ve been impressed.

“It’s nice to get involved in things off the pitch and when I’m finished with playing football, I could give it a go.

“I am a decent dancer. I like to make an effort on the dance floor when I’m out and about.

“In terms of poor dancers in our dressing room, that’s not tough. Stan can’t dance. He thinks he can but he can’t!”

Zogs Accepts Being Dropped

Alex Mcleish has come out today to explain his reasons for dropping N'Zogbia against Wigan. I don't think he really needed to explain why he was dropped, his performances have been shocking so far this season.

Here is what Mcleish said:

"He understood. There is big competition now.

"Charles has been very exciting in a lot of the games, it's just been his final ball.

"Maybe Roberto (Martinez) gave him more of a free rein and not checking back which made him a bit more dangerous at Wigan.

"But he is learning that side of the game as well which is important.

"I see Nani, Damien Duff and all the top wingers doing it."

The Scot says he wants N'Zogbia to work even harder and track back defensively, although he is mindful of wearing him out.

"Charles is explosive although we need to be mindful of not tiring him out having to run back all the time,"

"We've got to get the ball to him more and he is working on his delivery whether a shot at goal or a cross into the box or a one-two.

"These are the little things where he is not quite at his level yet."

Not too sure why he used Damien Duff as an example of a top winger but you get the idea...

Player Profile - 7. Stephen Ireland

Stephen Ireland is a player that I rate very highly. There is certainly no doubt that when he is playing to his full potential, he can be a very good player indeed. The only question is how good can Stephen Ireland be in a Villa shirt. There is only one way to find out the answer to that question, and that is to give him a sustained run of games. I'm very excited at the prospect of Ireland at his best, but it's clear to see that he still has a long way to go.

Last season was a complete disaster from start to finish for him. Houllier never took to him and was subsequently banished to the reserves before picking up a few niggly injuries and being forced out on loan to Newcastle against his will. It's fair to say that had Houllier have stayed this season, Ireland would have left in the summer, if anyone would take him that is.

Thankfully though Mcleish has come in and is trying to get the best out of him. He is still far from his best but the fact that he has started a few games already this season is a very good sign. I can see gradual improvements from him game by game. Especially in the Wigan game he was getting much more involved than in previous games which suggests that he is growing in confidence. The final pass/shot is still far from great but I feel that given time that will come back to him and soon we will see the Stephen Ireland we saw at Man City.

The rating is very tough to decide because if I was rating him on his Villa career so far it would be shocking but I need to consider his potential so it will be an average overall score.

Rating - 6.5/10

Bent In England Squad

So the England squad has been announced and it comes as no surprise that Darren Bent is our sole contributor to the squad. I'm sure that Gabby would have made the squad if it wasn't for his back injury mentioned in an earlier post. Lets just hope the Bent doesn't get himself injured, that's always my worry when I see our players on international duty!

Villa's FIFA Status

Time for a bit of a different post. FIFA 12 was released earlier this week and I was really looking forward to seeing what Villa's player ratings are. However when I found out, I was extremely disappointed. The first thing I noticed was that for the first time in a long time we have fallen from 4 and a half stars to just 4 stars. I kind of expected that with the loss of Young and Downing but I was very surprised to see just how poorly they rated our current players.

The defence was as you would expect and I'm fine with that but when we got higher up the pitch I was surprised with what I saw. I know that Delph is far from the finished article but I think that to go from 76 last year to 73 this year is just wrong. He is better now than 12 months ago so for him to go down so much is ridiculous. Also Bannan is only 73 when he showed great potential last year and is starting to fullfil it this season. Im sure when there is an update, his rating will be substantially higher, it certainly deserves to be.

Gabby is down to 75 which was understandable after his poor form last season although I'm sure that when there is an update he will shoot up close to 80 after his performances so far this season. The last player I'm going to mention is certainly going to be distraught when he sees his rating. Emile Heskey has slipped to a new low of 71! This is the rating of what you would expect to see in the Championship and I think, on a serious note, he deserves a lot more than that.

I know that this is completely irrelevant to what's actually going on with Villa in the real world but I just felt it would be nice to write about something like this for a change. Feel free to let me know what you think of it and what your initial thoughts on FIFA 12 in general are...

Jenas Out For A Month

I'm sure most people have already found out but I felt that I should touch on it anyway. News came out yesterday that the reason for Jenas missing out on the Wigan clash with an achilles injury that will keep him out for around a month. This is very annoying because I can't wait to see what he could bring to the team but every cloud has a silver lining I suppose. The silver lining on this cloud is surely the fact that against Wigan our midfield started to look quite good so it will be good for them to get a few more games together.  It also means that Stephen Ireland can get a few more games under his belt which I feel is essential for his Villa career.

Petrov Bigs Up Gabby

Stiliyan Petrov has come out today and praised Gabby Agbonlahor after his Man of the Match display against Wigan yesterday.  He talks about what he is capable of and how he is deserving of an England call up.

He said:

"Against Wigan is the way Gabby plays - that is his strength. If he manages to use it every game, teams would be scared.

"Look at Wigan. Every time he picked up the ball they were going backwards because they were scared to go closer to him.

"That is Gabby. We know what he can do. He does it every day in training and he has been doing it more consistently.

"That is what makes good players - being consistent every game. That will make you a world-class player. I don't think there should be any doubt about Fabio Capello picking Gabby for England.

"I wouldn't even think about it. He deserves to be there. He has great ambitions and we will probably see him back in the England jersey."

Gabby to see a specialist

Gabby has revealed that his ongoing back problem has forced him to see a specialist over the international break. Hopefully for our sake its not a major issue (it obviously hasn't been affecfing him too badly!). Without him in our side we lose our one man who can create a chance out of nothing simply down to his immense pace. Obviously this should mean he won't be in the England squad but that doesn't bother me as whenever Villa players are playing for England I spend the whole game worrying about them getting injured.

This is what Gabby said:

"I've got a back problem which I'm going to get sorted during the international break.

"I'm going to see a specialist about it - but overall I feel okay and I feel good about things.

"The manager knows what I am capable of and has given all the players the confidence to go out and do their best."

Player Ratings vs Wigan

Shay Given - 7 - Had a very quiet first 70 minutes but made a couple of top saves late on to preserve the clean sheet.

Alan Hutton - 6.5 - Got away with a clumsy challenge in the box but overall did quite well against a tricky Moses. Got forward when possible but his crossing was poor throughout.

James Collins - 7 - Another typical Collins performance of blocks and headers and hoofing. Had one wobble in defence when Di Santo seemed to run straight through him just before the penalty appeal but otherwise solid.

Richard Dunne - 8 - Another fine display in a magnificent start to the season. A dominant display where nobody was able to find a way past him.

Stephen Warnock - 8 - I haven't been his biggest fan recently but I thought against Wigan he was fantastic. He made many key challenges and ran up and down the wing all day. Lets hope he can keep it up.

Stiliyan Petrov - 5.5 - Another game where he was off the pace. Whenever the ball came to him he seemed to take an age over assessing his options and then always picked the most negative one. Also he fannied about by wanting to take every corner short which just did not work.

Fabian Delph - 5 - Not a great performance once again. He gave the ball away in key positions too often and going forward his final pass was woeful.

Barry Bannan - 7.5 - Had a great first half where he created most of our chances. Almost bagged a goal from 25 yards early in the second half but began to fade after the second goal went in.

Stephen Ireland - 6 - Got more involved than I've seen recently which was pleasing but his final pass/shot still needs work. Game time needed but promising signs.

Gabby Agbonlahor - 9 - Ive already mentioned it in my previous post. His electrifying pace was terrorising the defence all day and took his goal brilliantly.

Darren Bent - 7 - Took his goal nicely and almost got one in the first half when he wrong footed the defence only to be denied by Al Habsi. Great to see him score at the Holte End finally.

Gabby Steals The Show

Such a nice feeling to be relaxing on a Saturday evening on the back of 3 points for the Villa!  And I think it's fair to say that we owe pretty much all of it to Gabby Agbonlahor.  I actually thought he started the game poorly, giving the ball away a bit too easily and not making the most of promising positions.  However as soon as he scored his goal he seemed to turn into a man possessed.

First things first I think that goal deserves a mention.  Bannan, who had a very impressive game before fading late on, sending an inch perfect ball down the left for Gabby to run on to.  He then ran at his marker, cut inside and rifled an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net.  It was a taster of what Gabby has to offer this season if he can keep up his level of performances.  He has the speed to terrorise any defence in the league and now he is starting to develop some skill to go with it which can make him unplayable at times.  He is also starting to improve his level of finishing which makes him even more dangerous as now he doesn't need 3 or 4 chances before he will take one.

For the second goal he went on a magnificent run down the left, leaving Emmerson Boyce for dead before delivering a perfectly placed cross for Bent to volley home his first goal in front of the Holte End so a special congratulations to him.  As for Gabby's role in the goal, there is nobody else in our squad who has the ability to do that, his pace being the key factor but now he is finally starting to use his pace more effectively.

Other than Gabby, I felt there were plenty of other positives to take from the game.  As mentioned earlier, I felt that Barry Bannan looked very creative and created pretty much all of our chances in the first half before almost scoring a cracking 25 yarder in the second half.  Stephen Ireland is far from the finished article but I saw moments of promise and I feel that given a lengthy run of games in the first team he could become a key figure this season for us.  As ever the defence looked solid, and I was especially pleased with Warnock's display.  I thought he was terrific today.  Last but not least another mention to Shay Given, who after being so quiet for most of the game came up with a couple of quality stops to preserve a clean sheet which will go down well in the camp.

Hutton Settling Well And Praises Mcleish

Alan Hutton has been at Villa for almost a month now and here he is speaking of how well he has settled into his new club.  He also mentions how Mcleish has been a good man motivator in the camp and how his influence is growing around the training ground.

Hutton said:

“He’s been there, done it and got the t-shirt if you like,” said Hutton. “He was a fantastic footballer himself, so just the guidance will help, he’s a strong character.

“When I was struggling as a player or having a dip in form he would always encourage you. I think as a team you want a man who you can always go to and I think Alex is like that.”

Asked if McLeish’s influence was growing around the Bodymoor Heath training headquarters, Hutton replied: “Of course. I think he’s been like that wherever he has been. I don’t see why here would be any different.

“We’ve got a great squad here, it’s just about learning what he wants us to do and progressing as a team. I feel I’ve done really well. The boys have welcomed me in and the manager has been great. Personally it’s gone well.

“Obviously we’d like to have won some of the games but other than the Carling Cup, we’ve not lost a game so it’s not too bad so far.”

“I’d always like to say I’m half full, you want to take the positives from each game,” added Hutton. “The fans pay their money and they come to watch the team play free-flowing football, and attacking and everyone doing well.

“We understand that the fans want to be entertained and see goals

“But first and foremost you have to be strong at the back. Our defenders have got lots of experience at club level and national level, but they’ve helped me along so much, always talking to me and helping me.

“They have made it really easy to settle in, they’re always talking to me telling me where to go and I feel like I’ve settled in really quickly.

“I’ve just come here, I hadn’t played a lot of games before so it’s about getting my fitness up. But the manager knows what I can do and he knows what I’m capable of, and my fitness is starting to come back now.”

Mcleish To Crack Down On Bookings

After some silly bookings in the opening few games, Alex Mcleish has decided to fine anyone who picks up needless bookings.

Here is what he had to say:

"There's some bookings you can't avoid and you can't say 'right you are fined for that.'

"There's got to be a bit of give and take. But, with suspensions, you can control yellow cards to a certain extent if players can control their emotions. They can avoid the silly ones.

"I'm not going to tell a player not to tackle anybody. There are some things you can't legislate for suspension-wise. But we can't afford to lose players to suspensions.

"I'm going to have to fine players now for taking their shirts off when celebrating.

"I didn't have a rule in place before Gabby (Agbonlahor) did that. Gabby's also had one for dissent.

"We're trying to cut that side of it out and he understands that. We've talked it through as a group."

Player Profile - 6. James Collins

Brought in on the same day as fellow centre back Richard Dunne, those 2 formed a formidable partnership in their first season.  However in the next season, Collins along with Dunne seemed to fall from grace.  The spa bust up and several below par performances are what people will remember him for that season.

However he scored key winners against Blackpool and Newcastle to secure vital points which can't go unnoticed.  This year he seems to be back on form, throwing himslef at any ball coming his way.  He's arguably one of the bravest men I have seen in a Villa shirt over recent years.  His major flaw which I'm sure almost all Villa fans will agree with me on is his long ball tendancy.  He is known in my section of the crowd as "Hoofer Collins" and I'm sure we aren't the only people to call him that.  I suppose you could say that at least he doesn't give away the ball trying to fanny about at the back, but he needs to learn how to pass the ball into midfield instead of automatically looking for the striker.

The reason I haven't gone into loads of detail about him is that his story is almost identical to Dunne's who I posted yesterday so I don't want to sound like repeating myself.

Rating 7.5/10

Player Profile - 5. Richard Dunne

Richard Dunne has only been at Villa for 2 years but he has been such a headline maker that it feels as though he has been here forever.  When he joined he had an amazing first season where he surprised us all with his standout performances, and he was even a bit of a goal getter early in the season with goals against Man City, Chelsea and Hull.  Overall it seemed that at around £5 million he was bargain of the season, especially when Jolean Lescott cost Dunne's former employers more than 4 times that amount.  Unfortunately his mistake in the Carling Cup final defeat to Manchester United which led to Owen's goal seemed to be the start of a dramatic fall from grace.

With the arrival of Gerard Houllier the following season, Dunne became the prime example of hero to zero.  Returning to pre season completely out of shape following the departure of MON, and he never seemed to get back to peak physical fitness all season.  He looked, to put it bluntly, a bit fat.  Far from what you would expect a professional footballer to look like.  This was followed by a string of shocking performances where he was being outpaced by almost everyone and tripping over the ball at every possibility, and simply looking like a pub player.  He was then dropped by GH for a few weeks until it appeared that GH was advised to make up with senior players he had fallen out with in order to try and catapult us back up the table from the worrying position we were in.  Despite reclaiming his position for the rest of the season, he never came close to recapturing the form he showed in his first season with us.  He was also involved in a bust up in a spa with team mate James Collins, where the less said about that the better.

However the departure of GH due to health reasons was a huge relief to Dunney and new manager Alex Mcleish has reignited the centre half.  He looks in peak physical condition and has so far been as solid as ever, claiming many MOTM awards and getting high recognition on International duty from a certain Paul Mcgrath.  One thing is for sure, if he can keep his performances consistently high quality then we will be keeping plenty more clean sheets than last year.

Rating 8/10

Bannan Targets More Goals

After finally bagging his first Premier League goal at the weekend, Barry Bannan has targetted more.  He spoke after the QPR match about the weight lifted off his shoulders now that he has his first goal in the top flight.  I'm delighted for him now that he can just relax and get into his groove and hopefully become a bit of a goal getting midfielder, something we lack since the departure of one James Milner.

This is what Bannan had to say:

“I’ve been trying so hard, I’ve been dying for a goal.

“There’s been people, not questioning, but asking when I’m going to score – my dad, mum, girlfriend. That will always stay with me, that goal.

 “Obviously I wanted the ball. Any chance to score, free-kick or penalty, I’ll be there asking to take it. I wasn’t nervous at all.

“I knew where I was going when the referee said it was a penalty. No-one’s going to change my mind, even if I think the keeper is going to go there.

“I’d made my mind up that if I hit it right it would go in. I wouldn’t say I was nervous, I was looking forward to celebrating really.

“That’ll go to the grave with me, that’s one of the biggest moments of my career and hopefully now, as I said, I can go on a run and get more goals for this team.”

Mcleish Excited By Jenas

With the long awaited debut of loanee Jermaine Jenas seemingly just around the corner, Alex Mcleish has expressed his excitement at what the midfielder has to offer.  For me personally I am always excited to see a new player in Claret and Blue, no matter who it is.  This time however I am very excited because I believe that if we can get Jenas back to his best then he could add the spark to our midfield that it's really lacking.

Here's what Mcleish had to say:

"I am excited about seeing Jermaine play for Villa.

"I know what he can do on a football pitch.

"How many caps has Jermaine got? It's 20-30 - that's tremendous experience.

"You don't get that amount of caps and play for the clubs he's been at without having a certain amount of quality.

"He's a dynamic midfielder.  He can go from back to front.

"He's been frustrated with injury, as we all were.  We want as many good players fit and raring to compete for places.

"He's a very dedicated guy as far as I've seen in terms of working in the gymand doing his preventative exercises.

"He looks as if he's a guy who cares and wants to get back playing again"

Bent Wants To Be Penalty Taker

After missing out on the clash with QPR, Bent missed out on the opportunity to cement himself as the clubs penalty taker after the departure of Ashley Young.  In his absence young Barry Bannan stepped up and cooly slot away the penalty and won't want to give up the role of penalty taker any time soon.  However Bent is keen to wrestle the penalty taking duty from his team mate.  For me personally I would like to see Bannan take them until he misses one, otherwise I think it's unfair to take them off him when he currently has a 100% record.

This is what Bent had to say:

“I want to keep taking the penalties 100 per cent,” said Bent. “I was delighted to see Barry slot that one away, it was a top spot-kick.
“It was his first goal in the Premier League, too, so I really couldn’t have been happier for him. It must have been a big moment for him.
“But as a striker, if I’m on the pitch I want to take them. Alan Shearer once said to me ‘what striker wouldn’t want to be on penalties’?
“As a striker you score goals in open play but scoring from the spot is vital, too. It adds another five goals per season.
“The key is scoring goals for Villa and making sure you slot them home to win games for the team.
“I am confident when I’m stepping up to take them.”
“I am feeling good, I trained yesterday and it all felt fine. Hopefully there won’t be any reaction for the rest of the week and I will be 100 per cent for Wigan on Saturday.
“I hope to be flying. It’s been annoying. I had a problem with the left groin in pre-season and the latest injury has been the other one.
“It’s been stop-start at the beginning of the campaign but if I can get over this now I will be firing again. I want to get going.”

Injury Latest

Good news for us coming out today that we could have as many as 5 players back from injury for the Wigan game on Saturday.  Darren Bent, Emile Heskey, Jermaine Jenas, Ciaran Clark and Carlos Cuellar are all back in training and hopeful of making the squad this weekend.

• Bent has apparently overcome his groin injury that kept him out of the QPR game but he thought he had shaken it off one time already so it will be interesting to see if there is any reaction on Saturday.
• Heskey is also back after his hamstring strain, though I'm hoping this doesn't mean he will be taking back his place in the team at the expense of someone more worthy.
• Jenas should finally make his debut at last! I've been really looking forward to seeing him in our midfield to see if he can add that spark that we have been lacking.
• Clark has recovered from a knee injury but this just means that our bench will look a bit stronger as there is no chance he will get a start.
• Finally Cuellar is making a return!!! I rate him highly but sadly I see no way of him breaking the current partnership at the back.  I agree with the saying "If it's not broke, don't fix it" and I think this statement should apply here.

This is what Mcleish had to say:

"Darren trained today which is good news. The injury wasn't as bad as first feared so it will be good to get him back in action and unleash him again.
"Emile will train later this week with the group. He has already started preliminary training but he will be with us when we are preparing for the weekend game so he will be available.
"The good news on Jermaine is that he started training yesterday and he had a good session.
"He had another good session today and looked very lively and he is ready to go as well.
"James played through the pain barrier and was hobbling about a wee bit at the end of the QPR game but he is one of these that will run through brick walls.
"We feared the worst afterwards but the scan was good and there was nothing broken.
"He has suffered severe bruising and his ankle is a little bit swollen but we think he might make it at the weekend.
"Ciaran Clark is another one who will join us later and will be available for the weekend."

Player Profile - 3. Stephen Warnock

Some rate him, some think he's hopeless.  But one thing is for sure, nobody can question his work rate on the pitch.  Every game I see him in he is racing up and down the left wing, getting forward whenever possible whilst also tracking back whenever the opposition comes forward.  He puts in some crunching tackles, admittedly a lot of them result in a yellow card, but he never backs out of a 50-50.  But for me there are 2 major problems with his game.

The first problem is his distribution/execution of passes.  Over the past couple of seasons I have seen far too many loose passes from him which puts us right on the backfoot or wastes good opportunities coming forward.  The other problem I have with him is his constant misjudgements of the ball when it's in flight.  A few times already this season I've seen a simple hoof upfield end up in a chance for the opposition as a result of Warnock charge at it to try and cut it out and the ball ends up going straight over his head.  At this standard of football that is simply unacceptable.  I think it was these traits which caused Gerard Houllier to banish him from his attempts to create "total football".

Despite these flaws I believe we have a pretty good left back and we shouldn't be in a hurry to replace him.  There are clearly better left backs availible but we have much more important positions to find replacements for in the short term.  I suppose he could be described as a marmite kind of character, you can love him or hate him.  Therefore I'm going to play it safe and sit on the fence and open up the floor to other people's opinions!

Rating 7/10

Bannan Full Of Confidence

Barry Bannan has been on the up in the last few weeks, getting more involved with the Villa and also shining for Scotland.  As a result of this, his confidence is on an all time high.  My main criticism of him last season was that he didn't influence the games enough and didn't get involved in the games.  It was clear for all to see that he possessed great technical ability and had an eye for a pass, displayed best by his fabulous assist for our goal of the season last year against Fulham.  It was simply a matter of getting the confidence to demand the ball from his team mates and influence the game as much as he possibly can.

However he finally seems to be turning into that player looking at his recent performances.  Mcleish had this to say regarding our penalty against QPR:

"Bannan claimed the penalty, I never pre-ordained who would take a penalty if we got one, but Barry was confident.
"You can see in the way he grabbed the ball that he was very confident he'd dispatch it."

From this one act it is clear to see that he has grown massively in confidence in his ability and it's rubbing off on his game.  If he keeps improving at the rate he is currently then we can expect a great season from the lad, and then it's just a question of whether we can keep hold of him.  Rumours circulating over Man United making a move for him.  However I'm led to believe this is nonsense from the £18 million price tag being mentioned.  Lets just hope it's a wind up!

Mcleish Wants Tougher Villa

After once again failing to close out victory yesterday against QPR, we are once again left thinking what might have been.  If they had gone on to take 6 points from the games against Newcastle and QPR we would be sitting pretty in 4th place with 12 points.  As it happens, we failed to kill off teams that we should have done and now only have 8 points from our opening 6 games, which isn't bad but considering the teams we have faced we should be looking at double figures.

In response to this, Mcleish has called on Villa to become mentally tougher in an attempt to finish opponents off in games when we strike the first blow. 

"I'm not happy. I still feel that we should have ground out another four points, that's the mark of a team with real mental toughness and we have got to put that into the guys."

"I am gutted that we threw it away in the dying embers of the game, after a second-half performance which is much more what I expected from these players."
I think we all agree with what he is saying.  We have seen all too often us throwing away leads over the past couple of seasons and it's up to him to get that habit out of them.  It was a much thrown around stat last season that we threw away more points from winning positions than anybody else in the league.  That's possibly the most frustrating stat to claim!

Now from what I have seen from Mcleish so far as Villa manager is someone that knows the right things to say.  He has said on numerous occasions that he wants to play attacking, expansive football and that he wants to give youth a chance to show what they can do.  However so far the football has been pretty dire and he has only used youngsters when injuries have forced him to do so.  Therefore it will be interesting to see how the players react to this challenge in our next game against Wigan.  There is no doubt that Wigan at home is a game that should be won, no excuses.  We have struggled in this fixture in the past but I fear that anything other than a convincing performance and scoreline will get the boo boys out in full force.

Player Profile - 2. Alan Hutton

Brought in on transfer deadline day after the departure of Luke Young to QPR, Hutton has made 3 Premier League appearances for Villa.  I don't think many people can argue that he has had a slow start as our new right back, but considering the circumstances I'm not surprised at all.  Hutton recently lifted the lid on what his life was like at White Harte Lane and it didn't sound great for him.  It very much reminded me of what Stephen Warnock had to endure last season under Gerard Houllier once he had fallen out of favour.  Left out in the cold to rot in the reserves/youth team.

For those reasons I'm not going to judge him until he has had a run of at least 10 games so he can get back to match sharpness.  He has said so himself that he can't be expected to play to his maximum potential straight away after spending so long without competitive football.  From what I saw of him when he used to play regularly for Spurs he looked like a very attack minded full back who could cause opposition defences problems with his overlapping runs.  Defensively he looked a bit dodgy, conceding lots of fouls in and around the box so he must cut that out sharpish.

It's hard to give him a rating so soon after joining but I'm going to do it presuming he gets back to his best form that we saw a couple of years ago.

Rating - 7/10

Player Ratings - QPR Game

Given - 7/10 - Made a great save to deny Wright-Phillips in the second half and could do nothing to prevent the goal.  Otherwise he had very little to do despite QPR's pressure

Hutton - 6/10 - Looked a little shaky to start and booked for a desperate lunge but grew into the game in the second half.  Linked up well with Bannan on occasions and got forward slightly more than past couple of games.  2 penalty shouts against him for handball, both could have been given.  Needs to learn to keep his arms tucked in!

Collins - 7/10 - Looked solid throughout however his inability to deal with a hoof up field led to the equaliser.  Should never have lost that battle

Dunne - 9/10 - Such a shame that he conceded the OG right at the end.  It couldn't have been prevented, just one of those things.  Otherwise he was immense once again.  Game after game proving that he isn't passed it yet, top performance

Warnock - 5/10 - Booked for a rash challenge on Barton (no harm done there!) and conceded possession in dangerous positions on a couple of occasions.  Got forward willingly and got into some good positions but as a defender I have to rate him mainly on his defensive showing and, for me, it wasn't up to scratch

Petrov - 5/10 - Once again looked off the pace. Not really his fault, he just hasn't got the legs anymore.  Booked for a bit of a wild challenge and gave away too many fouls

Delph - 6/10 - Found space coming forward but should have done better in front of goal with 2 very good opportunities.  Caught in possession a few too many times but definately has potential

Ireland - 5/10 - Struggled to get involved for a large part of the game.  Had a couple of decent moments but definately room for improvement.  I want to see him given a run of games to show what he can do

Bannan - 8/10 - Scored the goal, nearly scored a free kick.  He's finally being given a run of games and he is showing exactly what he can do.  Our main creative force today and when he was taken off it really affected us going forward

N'Zogbia - 3/10 - A very poor rating for a very poor performance.  Lots of running but gave the ball away numerous times, wasted good opportunities and lacked that spark we all thaught he possessed when he played for Wigan.  It won't be long until Villa fans turn against him, if they haven't already

Agbonlahor - 6/10 - Work rate is unquestionable, his heart is fully in it, he is proud to wear the shirt and quite a few players could learn a lot from his attitude.  He didn't have one of his better games today, had a couple of promising positions where he probably should have done better.  He won the penalty, even if it was a debatable one

The 2 subs, Weimann and Albrighton, worked hard and did lots of running for the team.  Albrighton looked dead on his feet after just 20 minutes on the pitch which I'm not sure is a good or a bad thing!  He perhaps should have played in Weimann late on to seal the game but went alone instead.  Once again he gave away a silly free kick in a dangerous position.  He really needs to cut that out!